


Lovebirds

by Catkween27



Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
Genre: F/F, F/M, ymbrynes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:46:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28291116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catkween27/pseuds/Catkween27
Summary: A series of one shots throughout the lives of Miss Avocet and Miss Bunting
Relationships: Miss Avocet/Miss Bunting
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

She had been hiding under a footbridge by the little river that ran by her village, nursing a bloody nose and a black eye and plotting all sorts of grizzly revenge on her husband, when the girl found her. 

“What are you doing hiding down there?” Said the stranger, gracefully sliding down the embankment and down to the sandy swath at the river’s edge where Esmerelda was crouched. 

“Go away!” Esmerelda snapped, her voice sounding funny due to the handkerchief she was currently pressing against her nose. 

“Are you hurt?” The strange girl asked, kneeling down next to Esmerelda and looking quizzically at her black eye. 

“What happened to you?” 

Esmerelda scowled, she had wanted some peace and quiet, and she was angry that it had been interrupted by this girl she had never seen before. 

“I say go away!” She repeated, tilting her head back to try and stop the blood flow. 

“Don’t you want some help with that?” The girl asked sweetly. 

“‘Cause it seems you’re having some trouble, and if you keep your head tilted like that, the blood’s all going to run down your throat and you’ll choke” she explained, fishing a handkerchief out of her own pocket and holding it out to Esmerelda. 

“Here” she said “take mine, yours is filthy.” 

reluctantly, Esmerelda accepted the handkerchief from the stranger, and tossed hers aside into the sad where it landed with a wet splatter of blood. Esmerelda pressed the fresh handkerchief against her nose, wincing when it made contact with her skin, and muttered a thank you to the girl. 

“Ya know it’s going to get ruined, don’t you?” She mumbled through the cloth. 

The girl shrugged 

“Oh that’s alright, I always keep an extra, she said happily. Esmerelda rolled her eyes. 

“Are you hungry?” The girl asked, digging through the leather satchel she carried and pulling out a loaf of bread and some cheese. 

“I was looking for somewhere to have my lunch, and thus seems as good a spot as any.”

Esmerelda didn’t answer, she had already had enough of this strange girl and her constant chatter, but her stomach betrayed her, letting out an annoyed growl. The girl laughed.

“I guess you are then!” She said, ripping the loaf of bred in half and handing Esmerelda the larger piece along with a hunk of cheese. 

Reluctantly, Esmerelda took it. Despite herself she was starving, and the bleeding in her nose was finally starting to slow.

“Thanks...” she muttered, taking a tiny bite of her bread and cheese. 

“Mhmm!” The girl said, biting into her own portion and smiling. 

“What happened to your face?” She asked after a moment. 

“You ask a lot of questions” Esmerelda grumbled.

“I do, my mum always said I talked too much for my own good” the girl answered, seemingly unperturbed by Esmerelda’s fowl mood. 

“Your mum was right” Esmerelda answered, taking another bite. The girl just shrugged 

“S’pose so” she said through a mouthful of bread and cheese “but how am I supposed to find things out if I don’t ask questions?” She said 

Esmerelda didn’t answer. 

“Are you gonna tell me what happened to your eye or not?” The girl pried

“Because if you asked me it looks like you got kicked in the face by a donkey.” She said 

“Or a husband...” Esmerelda muttered under her breath. The girl looked at her, but didn’t push it any further. 

“My brother got kicked in the face by a donkey once, knocked his two front teeth clean off, lucky it was only his first set though, so they grew back.”

“Do you ever shit up?!” Esmerelda snapped finally, getting rather irritated by the young woman sitting beside her. The stranger shook her head. 

“No, I usually just keep talking until whoever’s feeling miserable forgets what they were upset about in the first place, and gets mad at me!” She said, grinning. 

“Well it’s working” Esmerelda told her, smiling a little despite herself, and feeling thankful that she still had the handkerchief over her face.

“Good!” The girl said, still smiling widely. 

“I’m Rosemary, by the way” she said, holding out a delicate hand for Esmerelda to shake. To her own surprise, Esmerelda took it. 

“Esmerelda” she answered 


	2. First kiss

“You should leave him” Rosemary said, her usual cheerfulness pushed aside.

“You know I can’t do that” Esmerelda told her quietly. 

“Why not?” Rosemary asked, taking her hand and tracing the shape of her bruised knuckles.

“Tell me, why not, Esme? Don’t you want to be with me? Don’t you want to run away with me? Somewhere we can be left in peace?” 

Esmerelda shook her head, her gaze fixed firmly on the sandy ground below her. 

“My whole life is here, Rose... I’ve never left this place... and he’ll never let me leave” she said with a heavy sigh, the hand that wasn’t being held by the woman beside her lifted to the spot below her eye where a brilliantly purple bruise had bloomed across her pale skin.

Rosemary didn’t say anything for a moment, continuing the path that her thumb was tracing over the back of Esmerelda’s hand. 

“Don’t you want to go?” She asked quietly.

“He hurts you, Esme, and it breaks my heart every time I see the marks he leaves on you, why would you stay with a man like that?” 

Esmerelda frowned down at her worn out shoes. 

“You don’t understand.” She said.

“I’ve told you, he won’t  let  me leave” she said, suddenly feeling tears welling in her eyes and forcing them away, rubbing her eyes roughly when one of them fell anyways. 

“Well, then run away with me!” Rosemary told her. “He never need know where you’ve gone, we can vanish from this place!” She said, her blue eyes gleaming with a spark of promise. 

“We can go somewhere he’ll never find you. A little cottage on a hill perhaps, we can have a garden, and some animals, we’ll be happy, Esme, don’t you want that?” 

“Of course I do!” Esmerelda snapped, her eyebrows knitting together angrily. 

“I want that more than anything...” she added a moment later, finally turning her head to look at Rosemary. 

“I just can’t...” 

Rosemary nodded, leaning her head on Esmerelda’s shoulder. 

“Alright then.” She said 

“I’ll wait” 

The tears that had been threatening to fall from Esmerelda’s eyes finally did, dripping down her cheeks one wetting the fabric of her dress. She felt foolish. She never cried. Not as a child when her mother had died. Not at sixteen when her father had told her she would marry Edward Sullivan whether she wanted to or not. Not a single tear was shed during the six years she’d been married to that damned man, despite the blows she often received by his hand. 

And yet-somehow- the blue eyed girl with corn yellow hair sitting beside her had managed to move her to tears with just a few words. 

“Oh Rosie...” Esmerelda said, feeling her heart ache in her chest.

“Rosie... I’m sorry” 

“I know” Rosemary told her, keeping her head on Esmerelda’s shoulder and putting an arm around her back. 

“Someday... maybe” Esmerelda said softly.

“Someday I’ll be free of him” she said, feeling herself flooded with a sudden surge of strength from the feeling of Rosemary’s warm body beside her. 

“I love you” she whispered, not realizing that it was the first time those words had passed her lips. 

Rosemary lifted her head. 

“I love you too, Esme” she said, they bright sparkle returning to her eyes as she gazed at Esmerelda.

“Rosemary...?” Esmerelda whispered, lifting a hand to cup the woman’s cheek.

“May I give you a kiss?” She asked, her voice just barely audible over the pleasant burbling of the stream they were sitting by. Rosemary nodded.

“I’d like that” she answered, tilting her head toward’s Esmerelda’s. 

It was like magic. Their lips connecting, interlocking as if they had been made for each other. Esmerelda had never felt anything like it. It was amazing, powerful and warm and yet the softest, gentlest touch she had ever received. 

When they finally broke away from each other, she felt her head spinning. 

“Thank you” Rosemary told her, smiling brightly and looking up at the late afternoon sky. 

“I have to go now..” Esmerelda mumbled, feeling her cheeks burning red hot. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow then” Rosemary told her, helping her to her feet and bestowing one final peck on her un-injured cheek before delicately running up the embankment and disappearing into the fading light, leaving Esmerelda feeling as light as a featheras if she would float off the ground at any moment 


	3. The runaways

She was cooking dinner when Edward came home, and before he had even fully opened the door she could tell he was drunk by his heavy step. Immediately she tensed up, ready to bolt should he find it fit to take out any drunken rage on her.

“What’s for dinner?” He asked gruffly, plunking himself and his half empty bottle of whiskey down on their rough hewn wooden table. 

“Same as last night” Esmerelda told him, still focused on the pot she was stirring. She heard her husband grumble something behind her and she felt a shiver of anger run through her. 

“Bloody stew, again.” He growled, his words slightly slurred. 

“I didn’t have a chance to go to market” she answered. 

“Not that we have the money to buy anything” she added a moment later. She heard his charge scrape back across th splintery floor, and she knew she had made a mistake. 

“Listen here” Edward said, getting up and grabbing her arm, squeezing it with bruising force. 

“I work bloody hard to give you a good life, the least you could do is give me a decent dinner!” He shouted. Esmerelda narrowed her eyes. She was angry. So so angry. She had always scraped by with what little they had, managing from day to day to put food on the table. 

“Well it’s not my fault you went and drank our money away!” She spat at him, waving an arm in the direction of his whiskey. 

“We’d have enough to get a decent dinner if you’d lay off it!” She added, throwing caution to the winds, she was sick and tired of every effort she made becoming the victim of another complaint. 

_Wack_

Before Esmerelda had time to react her husbands hand caught her square across the face. Her head snapped to one side and she tasted copper in her mouth. 

“Now you listen to me, and you listen well” Edward said, his drunken words low and dangerous as he grasped her chin in one large hand, forcing her to look him in the eyes. Esmerelda glared at him with every ounce of hatred she possessed. 

“You’re my wife, Esmerelda” he said, his face so close to hers she could smell the fowl stench of liquor. 

“You are nothing, and nobody without me.” He told her, grinning in a way that was anything but friendly. He pressed himself closer, and esmerelda felt that hard edge of the stove digging into her back. 

“I’ve put up with your uselessness for years” he sneered. 

“I’ve been nothing but patientwith you, despite the fact that you’re not even capable of giving me a son!” He hissed in her ear, one hand finding its way to her abdomen and pressing hard. 

“And despite this, I’ve kept you around. You owe me  everything ” he said with a final snarl, the hand that wasn’t holding tightly to her chin rising and grabbing hold of her hair. In one fluid movement Edward hurled her away from him. Esmerelda’s hand flew out, and she managed to catch herself before she could fall to the ground and hit her head. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, pure undiluted rage coursing through her, to the point that it was only when she had righted herself again that she realized her hand had ended up flat on the scalding surface of the stove. Esmerelda saw red, before she could stop herself she had grabbed the pot had been using to simmer the mast onion they had and hit Edward with it as hard as she possibly could. She heard the fleshy thud as it conectes with him, and she dropped it, backing away in horror and clutching her burnt hand to her chest. She watched as her husband fell to the floor, as if in slow motion, hitting the floor dully and staying motionless. 

_I’ve killed him!_

Esmeralda thought

_Oh god I’ve killed him_.

Terrified, she ran for the door, pausing only to pull her coat off a hook before running into the dark, breathing hard and feeling her heart thudding much to quickly in her chest. 

“Esme?” The familiar voice made Esmerelda look up. 

“Rosie?” She asked, not quite believing her eyes as she saw Rosemary standing before her in the dark. 

“What are you doing here?!”

“I had a bad feeling, so I came to check in you, are you alright?” 

“I think I’ve killed my husband!” Esmerelda exclaimed, glancing over her shoulder at her little house. 

“Rosie, I’ve killed my husband!” 

Rosemary blinked. 

“W-What?” She asked, confused. 

“He was going to hurt me! I-I didn’t mean to do it!” Esmerelda said, now teetering on the verge of panic. 

“But I-“

She was cut off suddenly as a shot rang through the still night air. 

“I think you might have to kill him a little more!” Rosemary exclaimed, grabbing Esmerelda’s hand (the unburnt one thankfully) and starting to run away from the house. 

Another shot rang out, followed by a fry screams. 

“Come back here, come back here this instant you useless woman!” Edward howled. 

They could hear him stalking forward as a third shot fired into the air. 

“Esmerelda, come on!” We have to move!” Rosemary shouted, tugging on her hand, But Esmerelda was rooted to the spot.

“I can’t!” She said as Edward moved ever closer.

“Yes, you can!” Rosemary told her, tugging on her again. 

Finally, with the crack of a fourth shot Esmerelda started to move. Rosemary had thrown herself in front of her and given her a shove as the bullet left the barrel of the gun, landing much to close to them for comfort. 

They ran, stumbling through the dark and slipping and sliding their way down the embankment to their usual spot by the river’s edge. It was only then that Esmerelda noticed that Rosemary was bleeding. 

“Rosemary!” She exclaimed.

“Oh god! Rosemary!” 

“I’m alright”. Rosemary told her, removing her hand from her thigh.

“It’s just a flesh wound. He didn’t get me badly.”

“You got  shot?”

Esmerelda gasped 

“Just a little bit” Rosemary said, grimacing a bit, but managing a smile. 

It was at that moment that Esmerelda knew she would never go back. Hurting her was one thing, but hurting Rosemary was unforgivable.

Terrified, she ran for the door, pausing only to pull her coat off a hook before running into the dark, breathing hard and feeling her heart thudding much to quickly in her chest. 

“Esme?” The familiar voice made Esmerelda look up. 

“Rosie?” She asked, not quite believing her eyes as she saw Rosemary standing before her in the dark. 

“What are you doing here?!”

“I had a bad feeling, so I came to check in you, are you alright?” 

“I think I’ve killed my husband!” Esmerelda exclaimed, glancing over her shoulder at her little house. 

“Rosie, I’ve killed my husband!” 

Rosemary blinked. 

“W-What?” She asked, confused. 

“He was going to hurt me! I-I didn’t mean to do it!” Esmerelda said, now teetering on the verge of panic. 

“But I-“

She was cut off suddenly as a shot rang through the still night air. 

“I think you might have to kill him a little more!” Rosemary exclaimed, grabbing Esmerelda’s hand (the unburnt one thankfully) and starting to run away from the house. 

Another shot rang out, followed by an angry scream.

“Come back here, come back here this instant you useless woman!” Edward howled. 

They could hear him stalking forward as a third shot fired into the air. 

“Esmerelda, come on!” We have to move!” Rosemary shouted, tugging on her hand, But Esmerelda was rooted to the spot.

“I can’t!” She said as Edward moved ever closer.

“Yes, you can!” Rosemary told her, tugging on her again. 

Finally, with the crack of a fourth shot Esmerelda started to move. Rosemary had thrown herself in front of her and given her a shove as the bullet left the barrel of the gun, landing much to close to them for comfort. 

They ran, stumbling through the dark and slipping and sliding their way down the embankment to their usual spot by the river’s edge. It was only then that Esmerelda noticed that Rosemary was bleeding. 

“Rosemary!” She exclaimed.

“Oh god! Rosemary!” 

“I’m alright”. Rosemary told her, removing her hand from her thigh.

“It’s just a flesh wound. He didn’t get me badly.”

“You got  _shot_?”

Esmerelda gasped 

“Just a little bit” Rosemary said, grimacing a bit, but managing a smile. 

It was at that moment that Esmerelda knew she would never go back. Hurting her was one thing, but hurting Rosemary was unforgivable.


End file.
